ARCALIS, Andorra (AP) – Defending champion Chris Froome held on to the yellow jersey and eliminated several of his main rivals in the toughest stage in the Pyrenees of the Tour de France on Sunday.
Dutch rider Tom Dumoulin won the ninth leg with a solo breakaway in a hailstorm on the uphill finish, a beyond-category climb.
“That was a tough stage and the weather made it even tougher,’’ Froome said. “One minute we were pouring water over our heads and ice packs down our backs and the next minute there was ice falling from the sky.